NOVEMBER 1, 2016 | 04:51PM PTJohnny Depp will star in the sequel to upcoming “Harry Potter” spinoff “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

Warner Bros., the studio handling the film, is not revealing the role that Depp will play. He’s also appearing briefly in “Fantastic Beasts,” which opens Nov. 18 and stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, with David Yates directing.

“Harry Potter” author and “Fantastic Beasts” screenwriter J.K. Rowling revealed on Oct. 13 at a fan event that she’s planning on five films for the franchise. Warner Bros. Pictures had announced in August that a second movie in the “Fantastic Beasts” series was already in the works with Redmayne as the lead.

Yates is also directing the sequel from a script by Rowling with David Heyman producing. Yates said at the fan event that the second film will take place in another global capital city — not the upcoming pic’s New York City setting. “It will be very different,” Yates, who directed the final four “Harry Potter” films, added.

The “Fantastic Beasts” sequel will be released on Nov. 16, 2018. Shooting will begin next year. Release dates for the third, fourth and fifth films have not yet been set.

“Fantastic Beasts” is set in 1926 with Redmayne arriving in New York as part of a global excursion to research and rescue magical creatures — including some hidden in his briefcase. Chaos strikes when some of the creatures are inadvertently let loose.

Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell and Jon Voight also star in “Fantastic Beasts.” It has not been announced if any of them will be joining the sequel.

Depp recently switched his representation from UTA to CAA. He will star for the fifth time as Capt. Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” which opens May 26.

Depp is also on board Fox’s remake of “Murder on the Orient Express” with Josh Gad’s portraying his assistant and translator. “Orient Express” has a Nov. 17, 2017, release date.

Deadline Hollywood first reported the casting news.

~ MAGICK HAPPENS ~Through the years, for the many xoxo's, giggles & kindness...thank you & love you Johnny.

Talk about a November surprise: Johnny Depp has entered the J.K. Rowling universe. Kaboom.

Depp makes a brief appearance in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (in theaters Nov. 18) and will appear in the second film in the Beasts franchise, Warner Bros. spokesman Paul McGuire confirms to USA TODAY.

The cameo fits into the world of Eddie Redmayne's wizard Newt Scamander, who is introduced in the first film.

Warner Bros. had managed to keep Depp's appearance a secret until Tuesday. Word leaked out after journalists started seeing early screenings of the film.

Director David Yates will return as director for the second Beasts film, slated for release Nov. 16, 2018.

Rowling announced at a fan event last month that she will write five Beasts films for Warner Bros.

Johnny Depp May Play Grindelwald in 'Fantastic Beasts'. Could He Be the Main Villain in Sequel?

November 02, 2016 06:21:36 GMT

Johnny Depp May Play Grindelwald in 'Fantastic Beasts'. Could He Be the Main Villain in Sequel?

The 53-year-old Oscar-nominated actor will reportedly play the notorious dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald and become the main antagonist in the second 'Fantastic Beasts' movie.

Following recent confirmation that Johnny Depp has been added to the cast of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2", a new report has emerged suggesting that he will play Gellert Grindelwald. It's also reported that he will become the main villain in the second "Fantastic Beast" movie.

Though details about his role are still scarce, Depp is said to make a brief cameo in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". The folks over ComicBook.com have speculated that the 53-year-old actor could portray the notorious dark wizard who uses the Deathly Hallows symbol as his personal mark.

Also fueling the speculation is Mike Fleming Jr. of Deadline who says, "I believe that if you look carefully, you might spot him in a tiny turn in the first installment of the J.K. Rowling-created Harry Potter spinoff." Additionally, a featurette was released last month during the IMAX Fan Event, offering a glimpse of a guy, presumably Grindelwald. Fans could see only the back of his head tough.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is directed by David Yates from a screenplay written by the "Harry Potter" book series author, Rowling. The fantasy movie stars Eddie Redmayne as the legendary magizoologist Newt Scamander. Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler and Colin Farrell are also among the cast members.

The first "Fantastic Beasts" movie is coming to U.S. theaters on November 18. The second and third movies will arrive on November 16, 2018 and November 20, 2020 respectively.

Update: Hypable has a source involved with the film who says Johnny Depp is playing Grindelwald. You don’t see his face in the first movie — just the back of his head. In fact, the below still depicts Depp in a recently released Fantastic Beasts preview. This shot appears at the very start of the movie:

Yes that would explain the haircut. He did say to a reporter a few months ago that the haircut was for a film he was doing. No doubt the blonde was a very temporary thing.

I'm not sure whether to be excited or not. This is the first time Johnny's committed to something that's already a huge franchise (Harry Potter universe) without his help. It's like hearing he's going to become a Star Wars character or an Avenger, sort of. If's he's going to do something new in the fantastical vein, I'd have preferred Fortunately The Milk or just about anything that doesn't already have Franchise written all over it.

The Harry Potter movies feature some actors of note, such as Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, and Helena Bonham Carter, and I guess Tim Burton came pretty close to directing one of the movies, but I was relieved when that didn't happen because I didn't want to have to familiarize myself with what came before. I haven't seen a single Potter movie. Is Grindelwald a character that's already been established and played by someone else, Oldman perhaps? Or is it a new character that Johnny will be able to establish?

At least Johnny's coming in at the beginning of a spin off, and not the original Potter franchise. You'd have to assume that this and his other upcoming movie commitments were made via Tracey Jacobs. I wonder if his changing agencies has anything to do with that, but you'd also have to assume that these were all Johnny's decisions ultimately. I wonder if he has any feelings one way or another about working so closely with someone who just co-starred with Amber Heard (The Danish Girl).

"There is certainly a part of me that tends to be that loner. You never find me in the center of the crowd. I just like to stay back a little and hang in the shadows."

@jruossThis is a new franchise from JKRowling. It is not based on Harry Potter and Hogwarts.The story takes place in 1920s New York, 70 years before Harry ' s story begins. Not sure if any of the HP wizards will make an appearance in the new franchise, but the role Johnny allegedly plays was not in the HP franchise.

I doubt Johnny has any issues about working with Eddie. As a fan of both actors, they appear to be genuinely nice and professional when working.